Ch.242242. Maritime Quarantine

A ship approached our exploration vessel, which had been troubled by shark wolves. Surprisingly, it had the familiar appearance of a turtle ship.

The deck was surrounded by planks and blue-tinted iron plates to ensure defensive capability, with metal spikes embedded on top to prevent boarding attempts during naval combat.

Particularly, that metal armor section had a magical effect called “Thorns”—an enchantment typically applied to personal armor—which reflected damage.

The effect reflects a certain percentage of damage back to the attacker when struck—clearly specialized for creatures that are sturdy but lack special offensive capabilities.

Specifically, this effect, if compared to a game mechanic, recalculates damage through the attacker’s own defense rating rather than simply reducing HP, meaning glass cannon mages could potentially be shattered if they carelessly attacked it.

Additionally, at the stern of the vessel was a dragon head that explained why this ship was called a “turtle ship” or “dragon ship”…. Considering the magical technology of this world, I suspected it was no ordinary armament.

Besides these features, each side was equipped with dozens of cannons like battleships of ancient times, and the sails… while I couldn’t describe them precisely, they definitely felt different from the mainstream style of the Western continent.

In reality, the historical turtle ship was designed as an assault vessel meant to break through enemy lines, but this world’s version seemed to embody the portrayal of decisive battle weapons often depicted in media.

And approaching alongside it were two smaller escort vessels that closely resembled panokseon warships.

‘Ohhh.’

I was momentarily distracted by their familiar and nostalgic appearance, forgetting something important… which was, of course, the shark wolves gathering around our ship.

[Slash!]

Urgently, I cut several sharks to pieces with slashing magic, then intimidated the rest by infusing my aura with mana.

The pack of about 40 intermediate-level creatures could only watch as their comrades were brutally dismembered and scattered across the sea.

Normally at this point, sensing mortal danger and the difference in power, they should have fled… but?

‘What’s going on?’

The shark wolves were glaring at me, openly exuding hatred and rage. In other words, despite the situation, they were still fixated on killing me.

‘Those creatures… could it be?’

I had long known that shark wolves were intelligent and highly social magical beasts… but to display such vengeful emotions even before a superior being?

Finding the situation abnormal, I was momentarily stunned before preparing to cast another slashing spell to sweep them all away when…

At that very moment.

-Whoosh!

An arrow cut through the air. Anyone could tell it wasn’t shot by a mere low-rank being—it pierced straight through one of the sharks in the water, hunting it down.

Having personally experienced spears thrown with all might by intermediate and even high-rank warriors for ranged attacks…

Even to my eyes, their arrow attacks had distinctly unique characteristics.

Imbuing arrows with aura was a technique any intermediate-rank archer could use. But when I saw magic power also contained within those arrows, I had to reconsider my assessment.

The difficulty between imbuing arrows with magic power versus aura is vastly different—magic power being dozens of times more difficult and complex. Aura is originally a fixed power meant to be wrapped around weapons or armor, but magic power scatters freely if left alone.

Moreover, while aura imbuing tends to be more powerful, skilled practitioners can manipulate magic power to perform techniques almost at the level of spellcasting with a bow.

Masters of this technique occasionally demonstrate telekinesis-like magic manipulation, allowing skilled archers to create barriers with arrows.

‘So this is an otherworld scholar…’

While I was mentally praising the archer who had mastered this difficult technique, the figure hanging from the mast continued firing arrows relentlessly.

The arrows didn’t display particularly flashy techniques, but each incorporated rotational technology to increase penetration power and speed.

‘Impressive.’

Recognizing how these arrows hunted dozens of sharks at machine gun-like speed, I regained my focus and killed the remaining creatures with slashing magic directed into the water.

As I silently observed the corpses after finishing the hunt…

“All crew members halt! Comply with their inspection!”

From the distance, naval vessels of the Kingdom of Kore were approaching, cutting through the sea.

※ ※ ※

The naval vessel—specifically the turtle ship—approached with a red flag raised on its mast.

This was a declaration of legal ship inspection and simplified immigration screening as established by international agreement, so we quietly watched as they skillfully maneuvered their ship right alongside our exploration vessel.

Meanwhile, I carefully tried to deduce the character of the admiral leading them based on the archery I had witnessed earlier.

You know how in martial arts novels, one can discern a person’s psychology or emotions through their martial arts? Similarly, in this world, a person’s mental state is reflected in their martial techniques.

Even I only learned recently that for warriors who reach the intermediate level, their mental state generally becomes embedded in their movements.

Of course, this shouldn’t be taken as absolute truth, but it serves as a reasonable means of speculation before making judgments.

For instance, someone who displays fierce swordsmanship likely harbors intense emotions regardless of how calm they appear externally.

By this standard, the person who shot those arrows was likely principled, upright, and possibly a stickler for rules.

In this world, archers transcend being merely weaker versions of mages who shoot powerful arrows from a distance; they’re technical specialists who demonstrate unique skills and techniques with bow and arrow that magic users cannot replicate.

Of course, there’s still demand for “high-penetration ranged physical attacks,” but that role can be fulfilled by intermediate-grade firearms enhanced with magic power that have emerged with the development of firearms.

Therefore, in this era where most archers train in areas that guns or magic cannot reach, this person’s preference for honest and powerful shooting despite the trends suggests they possess strong determination in some aspect.

Whether stubborn or somewhat strict about principles, they might have some rigid aspects they themselves aren’t aware of.

In this world, mastering martial arts to reach intermediate rank is impossible for ordinary people, and most have some “unique” personality traits.

Anyway, while I was letting my imagination run wild…

‘Oh. Coming personally?’

Noticing the approach of the only intermediate-rank individual—presumably the commander of this small fleet—I waited with an excited heart.

Finally, as the side of the turtle ship opened and a wooden plank bridge was installed, I saw naval soldiers emerging one after another, escorting what appeared to be a naval commander.

The naval soldiers—equivalent to modern navy privates—wore what we might call constable uniforms: black and white cloth uniforms with trident-like spears.

Of course, these men had “Joseon-style” pistols or curved swords at their waists, and likely wore some form of armor beneath their clothes.

Among these soldiers, under their protection, the naval commander ordered them to step back, then raised a face clearly marked by the passage of time, looked at me, and…

“Greetings, esteemed foreign visitor and guest. I am a naval commander of this country and coastal patrol officer who will determine your entry… No. Please call me Yeohae.”

He spoke with an impressive voice that carried both dignity and gravitas.